The Metro

Today on The Metro, we’re recapping some of our favorite conversations. We’ll hear from Ian Solomon, founder of Amplify Outside and communications and engagement manager for the Detroit Parks Coalition, about the organization's efforts to remove barriers that prevent people from enjoying the outdoors — especially in the winter time. 

Plus, we revisit a conversation about the preservation of an extremely rare cookbook written and published by Michigander Malinda Russell in 1866.

Today on The Metro, we share highlights from this week's episodes, including a conversation about the shifting political future of Arab Americans in Michigan; Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti on how cuts to the U.S. Department of Education could affect local districts and more.

Think about the last place you were in public. It could have been the grocery store, on the bus, or in the waiting room at the dentist.

If you did manage to strike up a conversation with a stranger, how did it make you feel? While it might be uncomfortable, it turns out there are benefits to connecting with strangers, people you may not know. 

There is mounting research that suggests that having real-life interactions with other people is good for our health and happiness. In 2023, former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning that isolation poses a health risk equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Today on The Metro, we’re talking to some experts and getting to know some strangers on the phones. 

Guests: 

More stories from The Metro on March 27, 2025: 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

President Donald Trump announced this week that he will place 25% tariffs on auto imports — including autos coming from Canada. The White House says tariffs on car parts from Canada and Mexico might be assessed later than the April 2 deadline the administration has set. 

Canada’s prime minister Mark Carney condemned the trade war on Thursday, saying the tariffs are a direct attack on Canada. Many economists and auto industry experts expect Detroit’s economy to be hit especially hard by the tariffs — that goes for Windsor too. 

So how are folks across the river taking all this? WDET’s All Things Considered host and Senior News Editor Russ McNamara crossed the border to find out. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Bill “the dean of Detroit photography” Rauhauser left a lasting impact on both the photography community and cultural history of Detroit.

He documented Detroit through his lens from the 1940s until his death in 2017, presenting to the world the city he knew and loved. He was able to capture the human experience in the city during rapid change and racial divisions.

Not only was he nationally recognized for his work, he helped uplift a generation of photographers, teaching as a professor at the College for Creative Studies for more than 30 years, and a guest lecturer at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan. 

Coup D'état, a boutique store in Detroit's East English Village neighborhood, will be hosting an exhibit of Rauhauser's work titled "A Retrospective," beginning at 5 p.m. this Saturday, March 29. The exhibition is a partnership between Coup D’état and Hill Gallery in Birmingham.

Angela Wisniewski-Cobbina, owner of Coup D'état, joined The Metro this week to discuss the exhibit, which will feature 23 of Rauhauser's pieces that showcase his dedication to capturing raw, authentic moments and everyday life in Detroit.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has approved a rate hike for Consumers Energy, allowing the utility to collect an additional $154 million in revenue.

This amount is significantly lower than the $325 million originally requested by the company. Starting in April, the average monthly bill for Consumers Energy customers will increase by $2.78.

This approval comes after rate hikes for both DTE and Consumers Energy were granted in the past year. According to a report by the Center for Biological Diversity, DTE now has some of the highest energy costs in the Great Lakes region. The report also raised concerns about the need for rate increases, especially after it was revealed that DTE earned $1.1 billion in net income in the first nine months of 2024.

Today on The Metro Katherine Peretick, a member of the Michigan Public Service Commission, spoke about the commission's decision-making process. She explained that utilities must submit detailed cases, which are reviewed by interveners and the commission. If a decision isn't reached within 10 months, the utility automatically receives the requested rate increase. Peretick emphasized that commission decisions must be based on technical evidence, not personal opinions.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

WDET's Ryan Patrick Hooper talked with Detroit Symphony Orchestra president Erik Ronmark about the release of the "Blues Symphony" recording via Third Man Records. This interview first aired on In The Groove.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

For a good chunk of the 20th century, railcars took Detroiters from point A to point B. 

Along Gratiot and Grand River, people didn’t even own cars. They were too expensive, but there was also no reason to because streetcars crisscrossed Detroit and even went out to places like Port Huron and Ann Arbor. 

In 2025, new cars are really expensive, car insurance is very costly, and public transit is worse today than it was 100 years ago. Today on The Metro, we’re looking at the history and future of public transit in the Motor City. 

Guests: 

Robert Pfaff: A professor of community and regional planning at Iowa State University. He wrote his dissertation at the University of Michigan about the history of Detroit’s streetcar system. 

Robert Cramer: Director of Detroit’s Department of Transportation. 

More headlines from The Metro on March 26: 

The Department of Education does a lot of things to support college students. One of its primary functions WAS to administer federal student loans and payment plans for college students and graduates. These programs help make college accessible for students of all income levels. 

Michelle Zampini is the Senior Director of College Affordability for The Institute of College Access & Success. She joins the show to talk about what student loans and repayments could look like under the Trump Administration. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced plans to restructure in early March. The agency will eliminate 80,000 jobs according to a memo issued by the VA’s chief of staff. 

The goal is to reduce the number of staff members to pre-pandemic levels. This is another proposed cut to add to President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s list of federal job cuts. Under Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), hundreds of jobs have already been cut at the VA.

Veterans make up a large percent of federal workers who are already at risk of losing their jobs due to cuts to other departments. They are a substantial portion of the VA workforce too. So the restructuring plans for the Department just makes things even more uncertain. 

They also rely on the VA to provide the essential services that help them return to civilian life after serving. Veterans get housing assistance and health care through the program. 

Today on The Metro, we’re looking at these cuts and how they could negatively impact services for veterans who need it. 

Guests: 

More headlines from The Metro on March 25, 2025: 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.